Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

"He's not an outsider, so just say what's on your mind."

Since Qin Chuan treats her sincerely, she will repay him sincerely; there's nothing to hide.

"Zhu Wen has launched a massive military campaign. Li Siyuan, the Holy Master of the Tongwen Academy, has sent a letter requesting that our Qi Kingdom join forces with the Jin Kingdom to resist him!"

As Guangmu Tian spoke, he handed over a letter.

"Zhu Wen is trying to establish his authority!"

The Empress glanced at the letter, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.

Zhu Wen had only recently become emperor and desperately needed a major battle to intimidate the feudal lords and force them to acknowledge his status as the supreme ruler of the land.

The military strength of the Liang Kingdom was indeed the best in the world.

The wisest course of action would be to feign submission and leave it for later.

But the states of Qi and Jin cannot do that.

They were all princes with the surname "Li" bestowed by Emperor Zhaozong, and they rose to power because of this. Once they bowed to Zhu Wen, it would be tantamount to destroying their own foundation.

"This battle must be fought!"

The Empress made a decision instantly, a resolute coldness appearing between her brows.

"Let me help you."

Qin Chuan stood up and looked at the murderous Empress, saying:

"I have some knowledge of military strategy."

"You understand military strategy?"

The Empress was extremely surprised.

Qin Chuan doesn't seem like someone who has led troops in battle. Could he be all talk and no action?

"I really have no experience in leading troops in combat."

Qin Chuan smiled slightly, his face radiating confidence.

He was not Zhao Kuo, who only knew how to talk about war on paper and became a laughing stock for all time, but a young marshal who could use troops with ease on the battlefield and predict the enemy's moves like a god!

Chapter 34 A Surprise Attack: Eight Hundred Defeat One Hundred Thousand?

Outside Fengxiang City, the Empress stood in golden armor and a crimson cloak, holding the Qi King's sword.

In these chaotic times, with years of war, the mobilization capacity is strong, and tens of thousands of troops have been assembled in less than a day.

The Empress personally took command, accompanied by four of the Nine Heavenly Saintess, Miao Chengtian, Xuan Jingtian, Duo Wentian, and Guang Mutian, while the rest remained to guard Fengxiang.

Buzz! Buzz!

As the bugle sounded, the army set off.

Qin Chuan changed into the attire of the Dark Star and rode calmly beside the Empress.

"In this battle, the commander of the Liang army will, unsurprisingly, still be Wang Yanzhang. I don't need to say more about him; you should already know him."

The Empress frowned, knowing that this battle would be difficult.

Wang Yanzhang was Zhu Wen's trusted general. While he might not be as good as Li Cunxiao, who was known as the fiercest general in the land, in terms of slaying generals and capturing flags, he was far superior in terms of military strategy and tactics.

She wasn't very confident of winning in a head-on confrontation.

"He was a rare talent for commanding troops; it would be a real shame to kill him."

Qin Chuan said as he rode his horse:

"Even that old codger Yuan Tiangang praised him quite highly."

If he hadn't valued Wang Yanzhang's character and talent, he could have easily infiltrated the Liang army and assassinated him.

Once Wang Yanzhang dies, the Liang army will be leaderless and will be easily defeated.

"It's almost impossible to win over someone like Wang Yanzhang."

The Empress shook her head, not very optimistic about Qin Chuan's plans.

Wang Yanzhang was extremely loyal to Zhu Wen, and Zhu Wen valued him highly. Why would he choose another master?

Qin Chuan wasn't very confident about winning over Wang Yanzhang.

In the original timeline, Yuan Tiangang had also ordered Shi Yao to recruit Wang Yanzhang, but the attempt ultimately failed.

However, talented people are rare, and it's worth putting in a lot of effort.

"Who taught you military strategy? The Bad Commander?"

The Empress suddenly asked.

She didn't want to hurt Qin Chuan's pride as a man, so she agreed to take him on the expedition, but she was still unsure of herself.

"Strictly speaking, I am self-taught."

Qin Chuan chuckled and said:

"If you're not comfortable with this, you can test me."

"That won't be necessary."

When the Empress heard that he was self-taught, her anxiety finally subsided.

Military strategy and tactics are not like battles in the martial arts world; in addition to a solid theoretical foundation, one also needs ample experience.

She was also self-taught in military strategy. At first, she was flustered and disorganized when commanding troops, but she gradually grew to her current level after many battles.

“I’ll give you five… eight hundred cavalrymen to clear out the Liang scouts in the surrounding area.”

The Empress originally only intended to give Qin Chuan five hundred cavalrymen, but in the end she gritted her teeth and gave him three hundred more.

Still somewhat uneasy, she instructed Miao Chengtian, who was following behind her:

"You will follow Young Master Qin and serve him well."

Miao Chengtian was incredibly intelligent and naturally understood the Empress's unspoken meaning: she was asking her to keep an eye on Qin Chuan and prevent him from causing trouble.

These eight hundred cavalrymen may not seem like many, but they are all elites of the Qi army, each one fearless and daring to charge even against an army of one hundred thousand.

If anything is lost, the Empress will be heartbroken for a long time.

"This is your first time commanding an army, and eight hundred cavalrymen is already quite a lot..."

When the Empress saw that Qin Chuan remained silent, she assumed he thought it was too little and said softly.

"Eight hundred cavalrymen is indeed a lot."

Qin Chuan suddenly smiled, a smile that seemed to radiate joy.

He had thought the Empress would give him some old, weak, sick, or disabled people.

I never expected that they would be willing to give him elite cavalry, and there were as many as eight hundred of them.

This is enough to show that she cares a lot about his feelings.

A moment later, Qin Chuan and Miao Chengtian led eight hundred elite cavalrymen away in a cloud of dust, tasked with clearing out any Liang army scouts that might appear along the way.

Scouts are the eyes and ears of an army, similar to reconnaissance soldiers in later times.

Both sides in a conflict would send out scouts to scout out the enemy's movements and make corresponding arrangements.

Liang Jun's scout troops were all personally trained by Wang Yanzhang and were of a very high standard.

Not only do they come and go like the wind, but they are also adept at hiding their tracks.

In the previous battles, even the Empress suffered considerable losses.

She assigned Qin Chuan to clear out the scouts because she valued his exceptional sensory abilities as a master.

As it turned out, the Empress's plan was absolutely correct.

Under Qin Chuan's almost godlike perspective, Liang Jun's scouts had nowhere to hide and were found and killed one by one.

"Thanks to Young Master Qin, we were able to eliminate all these Liang spies."

Miao Chengtian said happily.

Scouts are even more valuable than cavalry; even the most powerful state, Liang, doesn't have many.

"Unfortunately, one scout, in the end, still risked his life to pass on the intelligence."

She was slightly disappointed.

The scout was fearless in the face of death, and Qin Chuan's sword strike seemed a little too slow, failing to stop him from releasing the carrier pigeon.

Soon, Wang Yanzhang will know the current location of the Qi army, and then, based on their marching speed, he will be able to deduce their movements.

"This is exactly what I want."

Qin Chuan suddenly said something astonishing:

"Everyone, listen to my command! Follow me on a night raid straight towards Wang Yanzhang's central camp!"

"Young Master Qin, you mustn't do anything reckless!"

Upon hearing this, Miao Chengtian exclaimed in shock:

"For eight hundred cavalrymen to charge into Liang's army of one hundred thousand is tantamount to suicide!"

“Wang Yanzhang received a report from the scouts that our army was still hundreds of miles away. He will definitely let the army rest and wait for the enemy to tire themselves out.”

Qin Chuan calmly said:

"Now is the time for our army to launch a surprise attack."

"But what if something unexpected happens..."

Miao Chengtian thought there was some truth to it, but he was still very worried.

"In case of any accidents, I'm your guarantee!"

Qin Chuan pressed his hand against the moon reflected in the well, and a chilling killing intent rose up as if it were a tangible substance.

So what if there are thousands of troops? Even experts above the Great Celestial Realm can still be slaughtered.

That's the source of his confidence to use unconventional tactics.